Behind the Curtain: Meet the Judges of the Visual Art Open 2025

Every year, the Visual Art Open (VAO) assembles a powerhouse panel of judges - individuals whose combined expertise spans continents, cultures, and the full spectrum of the contemporary art ecosystem. For the 2025 edition, the VAO once again brings together an extraordinary group of artists, curators, critics, collectors, educators, and advocates whose insight and discernment set the standard for artistic excellence.

What sets the VAO25 judging panel apart is not just the calibre of its members, but the diversity of their backgrounds and the richness of their perspectives. Let’s take a closer look at some of the influential voices behind this year’s awards.

Artists Who Break Moulds

Sofía Ruiz, the 2024 Overall VAO winner, returns to the fold not as a competitor but as a judge. A Costa Rican artist with over 18 years’ experience and a global exhibition record, Ruiz brings a deeply intuitive and internationally informed sensibility to the panel. Her perspective as a practicing artist and award-winner gives her a unique empathy for this year’s hopefuls.

Fellow artist Curtis Holder, celebrated for his emotionally nuanced graphite portraits, adds to this artist-led lens. Winner of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2020 and recipient of the John Ruskin Prize 2024, Holder is known for work that centres marginalised voices, making his critical eye both rigorous and profoundly human.

From the analogue elegance of Miranda Lopatkin, whose photography has graced the Tate and Royal Academy, to Cas Campbell, an artist-advocate for neurodivergent and disabled creatives, VAO25 benefits from judges who understand the studio grind - and the transformative power of visibility.

Curators, Educators & Cultural Leaders

Gemma Rolls-Bentley, curator and author of Queer Art: From Canvas to Club, continues to be a fierce champion for LGBTQIA+ narratives in art. Her presence signals VAO’s commitment to inclusive storytelling and representation.

Equally vital is Rosalind Davis, a curator and artist known for mentoring early-career practitioners and organising ambitious group shows across Europe. Her dual role as educator and curator ensures that submissions are assessed with both critical sharpness and developmental care.

Olivia Mason, Director of Artists Futures Fund, brings a socio-political edge to the panel. Her work focuses on artists facing systemic barriers - an ethos aligned with VAO’s goal of platforming underrepresented talent.

Voices of the Art Market

From the gallery floor to the collector’s eye, VAO25 includes judges with unmatched industry insight. Elizabeth K. Garvey, Director of Garvey|Simon NYC, has over three decades of experience connecting collectors to mid-career artists. Her grounded, approachable style ensures the judging process reflects real-world art market dynamics.

Joining her is Addi Aegisdottir, Sales Director at Mall Galleries, who has placed works by artists such as El Anatsui and Eugène Delacroix with major international collectors. Addi’s expertise in primary and secondary markets offers artists a rare chance to impress a seasoned strategist of the commercial art world.

Erin Remington, Director at Saatchi Art, adds a contemporary digital dimension. Known for her curatorial flair and support of emerging artists, Erin ensures the panel stays attuned to the ever-evolving online art ecosystem.

Cultural Storytellers and Critics

No judging panel would be complete without the critical thinkers who shape art discourse. Emma Crichton-Miller, a veteran journalist writing for the Financial Times and Apollo, offers a panoramic view of global art trends. Her experience straddling design, ceramics, and high art means she brings both breadth and depth.

Likewise, Claudia Ross, a Los Angeles-based writer featured in Frieze, ArtReview, and The Paris Review, delivers sharp, culturally attuned analysis that cuts to the heart of artistic intention and impact.

Representing the digital frontier is Sylwia Krasoń, Editor-in-Chief of Contemporary Lynx. Based in Paris and with a career that spans Saatchi Gallery to Arts Council England, Sylwia blends editorial sophistication with a keen sense of contemporary relevance.

Celebrating Cultural Narratives

VAO25 also includes jurors reshaping how culture is visualised. Adeche Atelier, the collaborative force of Adwoa Botchey and Solomon Adebiyi, channel African mythology into contemporary art and digital storytelling. Their inclusion affirms the VAO’s commitment to cultural plurality and mythic imagination.

An Open Invitation

Together, this extraordinary panel reflects a nuanced ecosystem of contemporary visual culture. Their combined voices promise to identify, uplift, and celebrate artists with fresh visions and fearless storytelling.

And the VAO remains an open, evolving platform. If you’re a cultural leader, curator, collector, critic - or passionate about championing visual artists - you can express interest in joining future judging panels by emailing info@visualartopen.com.

VAO25 functions not only as a prestigious prize but also as a meaningful gauge of current artistic practice, closely examined by this year’s expert panel.

There’s still time to apply to the Visual Art Open 2025 – submissions are open until 11th June. Don’t miss your chance to be part of a leading platform that celebrates emerging and established contemporary artists.